Q. Which of the following statements with regard to the Antarctic continent is/are correct?
1.It stands as the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, holding approximately 90% of the world’s ice reserves.
2.The Onyx River functions as the longest sub-glacial river system on the continent, emptying directly into the landlocked Lake Vostok.
3.Astrobiological research conducted in Lake Vostok aims to understand environmental models applicable to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Answer: C
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct: Antarctica is classified as a polar desert. It contains roughly 90% of the Earth’s surface ice sheets and nearly 70% of the planet’s total fresh water.
- Statement 2 is incorrect: The Onyx River is a meltwater stream that flows through the Wright Valley and empties into Lake Vanda, a hypersaline ice-covered lake on the surface, not the deep sub-glacial Lake Vostok.
- Statement 3 is correct: Lake Vostok is a massive lake trapped under 4 kilometers of ice. Scientists study it as an analog for sub-surface liquid oceans beneath the ice crusts of planetary bodies like Jupiter’s moon Europa.
